


First Kiss

by That_Ginger_004



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluffy, M/M, Video, first kiss au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 23:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14758449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Ginger_004/pseuds/That_Ginger_004
Summary: In which Arthur and Merlin are two of the strangers participating in the 'first kiss' video.





	First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I knOW that the 'first kiss' video was released four years ago, but this has been sitting in my folder unfinished for fucking years, so. 
> 
> Feedback is always welcome :) Enjoy.

It was all Morgana’s fault. She was the one who talked Arthur into doing this after all.

“It'll be fun,” she’d said. “You need this,”

And then she'd pouted, and batted her eyelashes, and he was a goner.

“Alright,” he’d sighed, falling prey to his sister’s charms.

He knew it was a bad idea; he knew it, but as a spur of the moment decision he’d sent off his form, and now here he was. He avoided eye contact with anyone by huddling over his phone, pretending that he was simply waiting for the dentist, or an other such appointment, rather than waiting to kiss a stranger.

“Arthur Pendragon?” one of the assistants asked, popping her head out of a room.

He stood up, running a hand through his hair in anticipation.

“This way please,”

He followed the lady through the door and into another room where a nervous looking man was standing in front of a filming crew. The man's head snapped up the second the door closed, and he watched as his features ranged through several emotions before finally settling on something vaguely resembling relief.

“If you’d just stand around here,” the assistant said, gesturing towards the front of the camera.

He moved into place, and took a longer look at the man standing opposite him. He looked around his age - maybe a year or so younger than him - and he held himself with a kind of effortless grace. He was taller then Arthur, barely, and lanky. There was a stud flashing silver in his right ear, and another on his nose.

“Camera’s rolling. When you’re ready,”

Arthur stared at the camera crew in alarm.

“What-- Now?” the man asked, sharing his panic.

“Oh, no, feel free to talk for a while. We’re just gonna keep the cameras running, so…”

He turned back to the man and smiled at him. If they were going to do this, he might as well be nice about it, right?

“Arthur,” he said, offering his hand.

“Merlin,” the other man said after a second.

Merlin’s hand was warm in his, and calloused; his fingertips brushing Arthur’s wrist roughly. Merlin was -- well.

Merlin was phenomenal, the kind of creature you usually see on magazines, not in everyday life. He had eyes like the depth of the ocean; dark blue and so deep Arthur felt like he could drown in them. His hair was artfully messy, tousled like he had just rolled out of bed, and his cheekbones were down-right sinful. Arthur felt his heart thudding in his ears, and he about jumped a mile when Merlin’s other hand grazed his.

“What do you do?” Merlin asked hesitantly.

“Oh-- I’m a Lawyer,” Arthur said, watching his face carefully. “What about you?”

“I teach music at high school,” Merlin looked down. “I just hope none of my students see this,”

“Yeah,” he laughed, twining his fingers into the other man’s.

He squeezed Arthur’s hand, and Arthur cautiously reached up and touched his face. Merlin leaned into his palm slightly, and Arthur was encouraged further when he stepped forwards. His body pressed against his lightly, and Merlin dropped his hand in order to place his on the small of Arthur’s back. Merlin stepped forwards again and their noses bumped for a second, his arms finding their way around Arthur's neck, fingers playing with the hair at his nape. Slowly - ever so slowly - their lips brushed together, and Arthur would be damned if it wasn’t the best thing he’d felt in a long time.

A small sigh escaped Merlin’s mouth, and then they were properly kissing - like, full on, handsy, messy kissing. He couldn’t say how long it went on for, but he knew as soon as they broke apart that it wasn’t long enough. One of Merlin’s hands was tangled in his hair, the other around his neck, and Arthur’s were on his hips holding him close. Arthur followed Merlin up as he pulled back, and pressed a quick kiss to the side of his mouth before pulling away. Merlin’s hands fell to his sides and he beamed at Arthur like he was the fucking sun.

“Wow,” Arthur breathed.

Merlin grinned sheepishly, then -

“What’s your name again?” he laughed, taking a step back and ducking his head, hair falling messily into his eyes.

He chuckled, the low resonant sound bubbling out of his throat.

“Arthur,” he said.

Merlin nodded, eyes still shining. “Well, it was nice meeting you,”

“Yeah. You too,” he replied, trailing his eyes over him one last time.

“See you round,” he said, before backing out of the room hesitantly.

Arthur looked up and ran his hand through his hair again, remembering Merlin’s fingers tugging on it, before he followed the other man out.

***

So obviously the video went viral. He knew should have known better than to agree to it. His colleagues thought it was the best thing in the world - one of their senior representative’s looking bashful on camera. They’d never let him hear the end of it.

(His father hadn’t been so impressed. “Think of our reputation, Arthur, how could you have been so thoughtless?”)

(It had been worth it.)

***

Arthur sighed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His mind kept wandering back to the day they shot the damn video. He hadn’t seen Merlin since that day, but the memory of his fingers in Arthur’s hair still haunted him at night. There was something about him that made it impossible for him to forget. Every flash of dark hair he saw had his heart lurching into overdrive.

He shifted again, and glanced at his watch. He was late. The train had been behind schedule, and now he was going to miss his bus and be late to work - because his father wasn’t already annoyed enough at him. He gritted his teeth, and a string of curse words crossed his mind. Damn his car giving up on him.

The train slowed down, and he shuffled towards the door. Maybe - maybe - if he went fast enough, he’d make the bus and be on time. The doors open and everyone flooded out. Arthur pushed his way through the throng, briefcase in hand. There - he could see the bus; the last few people were just getting on now. He’d make it!

He looked away for a second, and reached into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled it out and poured on one last burst of speed, only for some idiot to go careening into him. His wallet got knocked out of his hand, and before he could think, words were coming out of his mouth.

“God, watch where you’re going, idiot!” he blurted.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just--” the person froze. “Arthur?”

Arthur frowned, then actually looked at the person.

“Merlin?” he asked.

“Oh my God, it is you!” Merlin said, his laugh bubbling out of his mouth.

Arthur stared, his wallet forgotten.

“Are you running late for something?” Merlin furrowed his brows. “You look like you’re in a hurry,”

“No!” Arthur blurted. Then, “I mean. Yes. But it’s not important. Sorry I yelled at you,”

“That’s okay, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Merlin said. “So… how’ve you been?”

“Good. Good, I-- fine,” Arthur stammered, then mentally slapped himself.

Merlin laughed again, and the sound went straight to Arthur’s belly. “It’s good to see you,” he said.

“You too,” Just ahead, his bus is pulled away, but the bus was about the last thing on his mind.

“So, that video, huh,” Merlin said, scratching his neck.

“I bloody well love that video,” Arthur confessed.

He sighed with his relief to get a coherent sentence out.

“Me too,” Merlin smiled bashfully.

“Do you want to get a coffee?” Arthur asked, work forgotten.

“Yeah, okay,” Merlin said. “Lucky it’s holidays, so I’m not too busy,”

Arthur smiled at that. “Were you going somewhere?”

“Oh,” Merlin held up a violin case. “I was just gonna go busking, so,”

“Right,” Arthur fished out his phone. “Let me just text my assistant,”

He thumbed a quick message, feeling Merlin’s eyes on him. A smile spread across his face, and he looked up at Merlin to catch his eyes. His eyes were intense; the same deep pools that he dipped his toes in before. Arthur felt like he was teetering at the edge of a cliff, just seconds away from oblivion.

Arthur took a sharp breath in, and dropped his eyes to Merlin’s throat, where his Adam’s apple is bobbing. Merlin’s gaze was still boring into his forehead, drilling a hole to his brain. Arthur cleared his throat.

“Coffee?” he asked again.

Merlin nodded. “I know a great place just around the corner,”

Arthur smiled, and takes Merlin’s empty hand.

“What are we waiting for, then?”

***

Merlin is lying in Arthur’s bed, his mouth open, a damp spot on the pillow just under his mouth. His hair rumpled, and a blanket is lying across his hips.

Arthur loves him so fucking much, drool and all.

He’s in his bed, sat next to Merlin, thumbing through his phone. Merlin lets out a soft snore, and Arthur smiles, turning to look at him fondly. Looking back at his phone, Arthur continues to scroll. Most of it is mindless stuff, nothing worth noting, until he scrolls down and comes across a gif-set of that damn video. There’s several of the other couples in it, and then Arthur and Merlin. Arthur stares at the gif, watching as his hands pull Merlin close, and as Merlin’s fingers twine into his hair.

It had been four years since they shot the video, and Arthur hasn’t had one moment of regret on it since he met Merlin again in the train station.

At his side, Merlin stirs, scrunching his eyes together, before opening them with a yawn. He props himself up, and looks blearily at Arthur.

“What are you looking at?” he asks, voice thick with sleep.

Arthur shows him, and watches a lazy grin spread over his boyfriend’s face.

“That video was the best thing that happened to me, you know,” Merlin says.

“I fucking love that video,” Arthur agrees, before putting his phone down and kissing Merlin.

Merlin is open, eager, and he makes Arthur’s mind blur at the edges. Arthur’s sure that he’s never loved anything as much as him in his entire life.

(He’s so grateful that Morgana made him sign up for the video.)

(So fucking grateful.)


End file.
